GOLDEN GLOBE 2013 NOMINATIONS and SBIFF

Golden Globe nominations, and much more, courtesy of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's "film geek Confidential" blog:

http://www.sbiff.org/blog2/

 The Golden Globes ceremony, the 70th in the history of the awards show, will be held on Sunday, January 13, 2013. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will co-host. The Golden Globes awards are brought to you by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), and broadcast on MSN.

 

The 28th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will be held in Santa Barbara, California, from January 24th to February 3rd. Passes and tickets are now on sale. SBIFF takes place among the beautiful California coastal area that is considered the American Riviera™ I have been there many times and it is one of my favorite film festivals. Official Website

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CANNES - A WRAP

Austrian director Michael Haneke's AMOUR (Love), in French, was awarded the top prize, the Golden Palm (Palme d'Or), for Best Motion Picture Feature at the 65th Cannes International Film Festival, Sunday. He received a Palme d'Or in 2009 for THE WHITE RIBBON in German and Italian. He is only the seventh director to take the top prize twice.

Riva in AMOUR

AMOUR was filmed entirely in Paris, and stars beloved French actors Jean-Louis Trintignant, 81, and Emmanuelle Riva, 85, as an elderly couple still very much in love, and Isabelle Huppert. It is 180 degrees from most of Haneke's movies, as he stated, ". . . a film’s style should match its subject matter, not its director, and 'this film is about love.'"

Saturday, we posted on our "Mimi at the Movies" Facebook page: "We choose Michael Haneke's AMOUR (Love), to capture the Palme d'Or at Cannes tomorrow."  So far, we are two for two this year, the Best Motion Picture Oscar (The Artist) and the Cannes winner!

CHILDREN OF SARAJEVO

THE CANNES UN CERTAIN REGARD 2012 section presented 20 films directed by 26 directors hailing from 17 different countries. Four of the works were first films.

Presided over by Tim ROTH (actor, director), the Jury was comprised of Leïla BEKHTI (actress), Sylvie PRAS (head of cinema - Centre Pompidou Paris, artistic director - La Rochelle Festival), Tonie MARSHALL (director, producer) and Luciano MONTEAGUDO (critic - Pagina/12 - Buenos Aires). According to Roth, “This was an extraordinarily strong group of films and our deliberations were passionate. The film makers never once failed us! Incredible!”

TOP PRIZE OF UN CERTAIN REGARD
AFTER LUCIA (original title, DESPUÉS DE LUCIA0) by Michel FRANCO, a Mexican/French co-production in Spanish. It is about teenage bullying in Mexico.

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
LE GRAND SOIR (The Great Evening) by Benoît DELÉPINE and Gustave KERVERN. A French production in French.

SPECIAL DISTINCTION OF THE JURY
CHILDREN OF SARAJEVO (original title, DJECA) written and directed by  Bosnian--Herzegovinian filmmaker Aida BEGIC, telling the story of two orphaned siblings struggling to survive during the Bosnian War. Congratulations to Aida, Kevin Spacey and all the gang at the upcoming Sarajevo Film Festival! I will be following.

Writer/Director/Producer Aida Begic

 

AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS (Shared)
Suzanne CLÉMENT for her performance in LAURENCE ANYWAYS directed by Xavier DOLAN, and Emilie DEQUENNE for her performance in À PERDRE LA RAISON (Reason to Lose) directed by Joachim LAFOSSE.

AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR
Mads MIKKELSEN in JAGTEN (The Hunt) directed by Thomas VINTERBERG.

GRAND PRIX
REALITY directed by Matteo GARRONE.

BEST DIRECTOR
Carlos REYGADAS for POST TENEBRAS LUX (title means “light after the darkness”).

BEST SCREENPLAY
Cristian MUNGIU for DUPÃ DEALURI (Beyond The Hills).

JURY PRIZE: THE ANGELS' SHARE directed by Ken LOACH.

Caméra d'Or for Best First Film -  BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD directed by Benh ZEITLIN.

SHORT FILMS
Palme d'Or - SESSIZ-BE DENG (Silent) directed by L. Rezan YESILBAS.

OTHER AWARDS:  NO, starring Gael García Bernal, a Chilean production in Spanish, took Top Prize at the Directors' Fortnight; FIPRESCI Prizes (Critics Awards) went to BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD (USA) filmed in New Orleans, and IN THE FOG, a Latvian production in Russian.

It must be noted that, despite a stronger showing of American movies at Cannes this year, U.S. films were shut out when it came to the awards, except for BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD, which won two awards.

SOME FEATURE MOTION PICTURES THAT RECEIVED FAVORABLE ATTENTION AT THE FESTIVAL:

1. Leos Carax's HOLY MOTORS, labeled bizarre by some. Carax is French. From IMDb Trivia: His professional name, Leos Carax, is an anagram of his first and middle names, "Alex Oscar."

2. A big standing ovation and favorable buzz at Cannes following David Cronberg's COSMOPOLIS premiere with Robert Pattinson and Cronenberg in attendance. At this festival, Pattenson was praised for his acting. The movie features French actress Juliette Binoche, who rose to movie stardom after appearing in Philip Kaufman's  critically acclaimed, THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS  OF BEING.

3. Kaufman's latest, HEMINGWAY AND GELLHORN, received some words of warmth at the festival as well. It is an HBO movie, starring Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen. The drama is centered on the romance between Ernest Hemingway and WWII correspondent Martha Gellhorn, Hemingway's inspiration for, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and the only woman who ever asked for a divorce from the writer. This one is definitely on my "must see" list.

Kidman and Owen as Gellhorn and Hemingway

LINKS:

  Cannes Festival Home in English

  Movie reviews plus video

Tribeca Awards 2012 and Wrap

The 11th annual Tribeca Film Festival has wrapped in NYC. The the Peoples Choice Heineken Audience Awards for Best Documentary and Best Narrative motion pictures went to Burn and Any Day Now, respectively. Burn is a documentary about a group of hardworking Detroit firefighters.

BURN

 ANY DAY NOW

Any Day Now is a narrative movie telling the story of two men in the 70s who against all odds create a loving family. The director(s) of each winning motion picture received $25,000 from Heineken, one of the main sponsors of the festival. American Express is a founding sponsor of the festival along with the creators Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff.

The jurors for the 2012 World Narrative Competition were Patricia Clarkson, Dakota Fanning, Mike Newell, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Jim Sheridan, and Irwin Winkler.

WAR WITCH

The top awards went to War Witch, The World Before Her, Una Noche, and Wavumba. From among these The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature went to War Witch, directed by Kim Nguyen (Canada). The winner received $25,000 sponsored by AKA.

For more about the Tribeca Film Festival see the post of April 5th below. According to the Festival, the video archive of the Awards Show will be ready at the Tribeca Online Film Festival soon.

Festival Site    View Festival Movies Online

BAFTA Goes for THE ARTIST, ASC for THE TREE OF LIFE

There were two major motion picture awards yesterday, Sunday, February 12th. First, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) gave out their Orange Awards, and the American Society of Cinematographers presented their ASC Awards.

1. First, the BAFTA Awards. The French Motion Picture, THE ARTIST, received the most awards, seven: best feature film; actor, JEAN DUJARDIN; director and screenplay, MIKEL HAZANAVICIUS; original music, LUDOVIC BOURCE; cinematography, GUILLAUME SCHIFFMAN; and costume design, Mark Bridges.

THE IRON LADY's Meryl Streep was named best actress and THE IRON LADY received the award for best hair and makeup. No surprise in either. OCTAVIA SPENCER (The Help), and CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER (Beginners), were honored as supporting actors.

The Spanish motion picture produced by the Almodóvar brothers from Spain, Pedro and Agustin. THE SKIN I LIVE IN, received the nod for best motion picture not in the English language, directed by Pedro and produced by both. Spain did not submit this motion picture for Oscar consideration  in the Best Foreign Language Film Category.

The best documentary award went to SENNA, a documentary about Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the Formula1 world championship three times before his death at age 34. It also won the BAFTA for best editing.

The outstanding British feature was TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, which also won the best adapted screenplay. TINKER stars Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy and John Hurt.

                                                                                   The best animated motion picture was RANGO (voiced by Johnny Depp).  Concerning RANGO, on 2/2, I Tweeted (@mimifink), "Last week, International Animated Society #AnnieAwards picked RANGO with Johnny Depp best for 2011." Those two awards elevate RANGO to the top of the Oscar speculation list for best animated feature.

If you are interested in the Best Animated Short Film for 2011, you might do well to put Minkyu Lee's ADAM and DOG – from Warner Brothers and Pixar Animation Studios - on your speculation list. Two smaller companies were involved, I Tawt I Taw A Puddy Tat and La Luna. See Annie Awards.

For more about the BAFTA Awards, including the honorary awards and other winners, click the title of this post.

2. Also on Sunday, the 26th Annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Awards were presented in the Hollywood and Highland Grand Ballroom.

WINNER: Emmanuel Lubezki for THE TREE OF LIFE.

Winners of the ASC award go on to win an Oscar about 50% of the time. The BAFTA went to Guillaume Schiffman for THE ARTIST. If statistics hold, ladies and gentlemen, the 84th Academy Award will go to one of these two. The awards are not yet posted on the ASC Official Website, so go to Reuters for more.

 UPCOMING AWARDS THIS WEEK

Friday, February 17th -  43rd Annual NAACP Image Awards, which celebrate people of color in the arts and individuals who promote social justice. THE HELP has eight nominations.
 

Saturday, February 18, 2012 -  The 62nd Annual American Cinema Editors' (ACE) Eddie Awards will be presented at the Beverly Hilton. The Eddie Awards honor editors working in motion pictures and television.

Sunday, February 19th - Writers Guild Awards at the Hollywood Palladium. See their Website.

THE ARTIST Gets Top Honors from Screen Actor, Director, and Producer Guilds

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS (SAG) 2012

Jean DuJardin and Bérénce Bejo, The Artist

The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) were presented January 29, 2012, from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. The 2012 SAG Awards ceremony honored the outstanding performances by actors in 2011. The awards gala was simulcast live on TNT and TBS.

 One of the highlights of the evening was Mary Tyler Moore receiving the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor an actor receives from SAG. Moore, 75, got her big break when she starred as Laurie Petrie in the 1960s CBS sitcom opposite Dick Van Dyke in the show carrying his name. However, she hit her stride as Mary Richards in her own TV show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show with the likes of Betty White and Edward Asner. It premiered on CBS in 1970, and ran seven years.

In addition, the Screen Actors Guild Foundation announced last week that Alec Baldwin is SAG's first Ambassador, a new position designed to draw attention to the national non-profit organization, and its ongoing work as a vital, humanitarian support system within the acting community. For more about Ambassador Baldwin and his duties, click here.

Motion Picture Nominees and Winners (*):

Male Actor, Lead
 *JEAN DuJARDIN, The Artist
Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Male Actor, Supporting
 *CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, Beginners
Kenenth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Armie Hammer, J Edgar
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior

Female Actor, Lead
 *VIOLA DAVIS, The Help
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Female Actor, Supporting
 *OCTAVIA SPENCER, The Help
Bérénce Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

Cast in a Motion Picture
*THE ARTIST
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Help
Midnight in Paris

For all nominees and winners, including television, click title of this post for SAG Official Website, and/or click here for Eonline.

DIRECTORS GUILD AWARDS (DGA) 2012

The 64th Annual Directors Guild Of America Awards were presented in Hollywood, California, Saturday, January 28th, 2012, in a televised gala hosted by actor Kelsey Grammer. 
 

The 64th Annual Directors Guild Of America nominees with award winners (*), for those awards that have some relevance to movies - - -

Feature Motion Picture:

*MICHAEL HAZANAVICIUS, The Artist
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
David Fincher, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Movies for Television and Mini-Series:
*JEFF BLECKNER, Hallmark Hall of Fame, "Beyond The Blackboard"
Jon Cassar, The Kennedys
Stephen Gyllenhaal, Girl Fight
Demi Moore, Jennifer Aniston, Penelope Spheeris, Alicia Keys, Patty Jenkins, Lifetime's "Five"
Michael Stevens, Thurgood

Documentary:
*JOE BERLINGER and BRUCE SINOFSKY, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Steve James, The Interrupters
James Marsh, Project Nim
Richard Press, Bill Cunningham New York
Martin Scorsese, George Harrison: Living in the Material World

Musical Variety:

*GLENN WEISS, 65th Annual Tony Awards
Louis J. Horvitz, The Kennedy Center Honors
Don Roy King, Saturday Night Live With Host Justin Timberlake
Don Mischner, 83rd Annual Academy Awards
Chuck O'Neil, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Episode #16070

For all nominees and winners, includng television, click here, or Director's Guild Official Website.

 

PRODUCERS GUILD AWARDS (PGA) 2012

Here's one I missed posting. The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced this year’s winning motion picture and television productions at the 23rd Annual Producers Guild Awards' ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, Saturday, January 21, 2012.

The 2012 Producers Guild nominated films, with winners (*), are listed below in alphabetical order by category, along with producers. The producers’ names listed for each nominated production are listed in alphabetical order and are not necessarily the proper order of credits.

The theatrical motion picture nominees and winners, with producer(s), are:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures - -
 
    *THE ARTIST -  Thomas Langmann;

    Bridesmaids - Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend;
    The Descendants - Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor;
    The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Ceán Chaffin, Scott Rudin; 

    The Help - Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Brunson Green;
    Hugo - Graham King, Martin Scorsese;
    The Ides of March - George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Brian Oliver;
    Midnight in Paris - Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum;
    Moneyball - Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, Brad Pitt;
    War Horse - Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg.

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures - -
 
   *THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN - Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg;
    Cars 2 - Denise Ream;
    Kung Fu Panda 2 - Melissa Cobb;
    Puss In Boots - Joe M. Aguilar, Latifa Ouaou
    Rango - John B. Carls, Gore Verbinski.
 

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures - -
 
   * BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST - Debra Koffler, Frank Mele, Edward Parks, Michael Rapaport;
    Bill Cunningham New York - Philip Gefter;
    Project Nim - Simon Chinn;
    Senna - James Gay-Rees;
    The Union - Cameron Crowe, Michelle Panek.

The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television, which  encompasses both movies of the week and mini-series - -

 The Cast of Downton Abbey 

  * "DOWNTON ABBEY" (Masterpiece) (PBS) - Julian Fellowes, Nigel Marchant, Gareth Neame;
    "Cinema Verite” (HBO) - Zanne Devine, Karyn McCarthy;
    "The Kennedys” (ReelzChannel) - Jon Cassar, Jonathan Koch, Stephen Kronish, Steve Michaels, Michael Prupas, Jamie Paul Rock, Joel Surnow;
    "Mildred Pierce” (HBO) - Todd Haynes, Pamela Koffler, Ilene S. Landress, Christine Vachon;
    "Too Big To Fail” (HBO) - Carol Fenelon, Jeffrey Levine, Paula Weinstein.

To see the winners in the television categories that are not in long form see the PGA Official Website. See the previous post on this blog for all Oscar nominations.

 

 
Christopher Plummer - from Sound of Music to The Beginners!

Cast of The Help 

Octavia Spencer, Minny (2nd from left) and Viola Davis, Aibileen  (far right).

Jessica Chastain, Celia (far left) Emma Stone, Skeeter (btw 
 Spencer and Davis).

SEE THE RED CARPET FASHION SHOW, CLICK HERE.

'The Tree of Life' Wins San Francisco Critics Best Picture, and Sundance News

 

The San Francisco Critics Circle rallied around the Cannes' winner, The Tree of Life on Sunday, naming it the best picture of the year, and giving the best director award to Terrence Malick. The critics also singled out the movie's Emmanuel Lubezki for best cinematography.

Watch featurette of The Tree of Life star Jessica Chastain, also with Brad Pitt, and producers Dede Gardner and Grant Hill.
VIDEO 

Comprised of 31 Bay Area film critics the organization, voted Gary Oldman best actor for his portrayal of a British intelligence officer in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Tilda Swinton

They hailed Tilda Swinton as best actress for portraying the mother of a severely troubled boy in We Need to Talk About Kevin.

  

Supporting actor went to Albert Brooks for Drive,

Vanessa Redgrave

and supporting actress to Vanessa Redgrave for Coriolanus.           

Fiennes and Chastain

Ralph Fiennes not only stars in the Coriolanus, he makes his directorial debut in this  lesser-known Shakespearean tragedy.

Also in Coriolanus, Chastain shows her best Shakespearean acting chops.
VIDEO

Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan took the best adapted screenplay prize for Tinker, while J.C. Chandor received the best original screenplay prize for Margin Call, which revolves around the key people at a investment bank over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the financial crisis, and stars Zachary Quinto, Stanley Tucci and Kevin Spacey.

Rango was named best animated feature, again beating out Scorsese's Hugo.

Certified Copy (France, starring Juliette Binoche, William Shimell and Jean-Claude Carrière) garnered best foreign language film.

Tabloid(UK)was named best documentary. For more on the awards, click title of this post.

~~~~~~ SUNDANCE ~~~~~~
~~~~~~~

The 2012 Sundance Film Festival online film guide is up and running, and it is in html. Search now to learn more about this year’s films, and the new ones for 2012, make a must-see list, and share on your social networks. The Festival opens January 19 and runs though the 29th in Park City, Utah.

Ticket registration closes at 5 p.m. MST on December 19. Register for tickets today! Get Park City’s best digs and deals when you book your accommodations online through the Sundance Institute.

National Board of Review and NY Film Critics Circle Award Their "Best Of" for 2011

Three Breakout Movies

 

Last week, both the National Board of Review (NBR) and the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) voted the Iranian movie A Separation (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin) Best Foreign Film. Few outside the movie industry hear about the NBR or the NYFCC awards, but I post them because I rely upon them when making my Oscar picks.

 
A Separation, written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, was awarded the Golden Bear for best film and the Silver Bear for best acting ensemble at the Berlin Film Festival this year. In addition it won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Riga Film Forum in Latvia, along with many festival nominations and awards from various countries around the world.

I hope A Separation receives better treatment by the Academy this year than Farhadi's 2009 film, About Elly. For a list of films submitted and accepted for a run for and Oscar as Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards this coming February, see the link on the right sidebar.

 
Farhadi has a long list of awards beginning with his first movie, Dancing in the Dust in 2003, through his most previous film, About Elly. Unfortunately, his films have not received a single Oscar nomination. His internationally acclaimed About Elly was submitted to the Academy by Iran, but did not make the first cut. This year, A Separation was submitted by Iran. I hope the cultural, religious and political divides between the USA and Iran will not handicap this movie's chance for an Academy Award.

 
So far, there is hope for a first-time nomination for Farhadi. A Separation is about a married couple faced with a difficult decision. Should they move to another country to improve the life of their child, or stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's? For more on A Separation, click the title of this post.

 
The NY Film Critics Circle bestowed its Best Picture award for 2011 to Michel Hazanavicius’ black-and-white silent film The Artist, along with the Best Director award. I predict good things for this movie at the 84th Academy Awards.  Here is the NYFCC's winner's list:

Best Picture: The Artist
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)
Best Screenplay: Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin (Moneyball)
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Best Foreign-Language Film: A Separation
Best Actor: Brad Pitt (Moneyball, The Tree Of Life)
Best Actress: Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain (The Tree Of Life, The Help and Take Shelter)
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks (Drive)
Best Nonfiction Film: Cave Of Forgotten Dreams
Best First Feature: Margin Call
2011 Special Award: Raoul Ruiz (posthumous).

 
The National Board Of Review Named Hugo Best Film, and Martin Scorsese Best Director for the animated movie. I also predict good things for this movie at the Academy Awards. Here is is the NBR's winner's list:

Best Film: Hugo
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Best Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants
Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Best Original Screenplay: Will Reiser, 50/50
Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Descendants
Best Animated Feature: Rango
Breakthrough Performance: Felicity Jones, Like Crazy
Breakthrough Performance: Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Debut Director: J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Best Ensemble: The Help
Spotlight Award: Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, Shame, X-Men: First Class)
NBR Freedom of Expression: Crime After Crime
NBR Freedom of Expression: Pariah
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation
Best Documentary: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Special Achievement in Filmmaking: The Harry Potter Franchise – A Distinguished Translation from Book to Film.

The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at 5:30 a.m. PT, in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Official Site